For six-year-old Blessing, the Gift of Sight has meant more than a critical eye surgery; it has meant life itself.
Two years ago, Blessing was playing near a pile of burning trash in her home village in Ghana when an explosion occurred. Tragically, a piece of metal became embedded in her eye.
Blessing was rushed to a nearby hospital, where her parents received news that no parent wants to hear: their daughter would lose her eye. They were overcome with grief for their daughter’s loss.
“I wish this had happened to me and not my daughter,” her father said.
Although her eye could not be saved, Blessing still required surgery to remove the eye and avoid a life-threatening infection. Her parents struggled financially and knew they could not afford the treatment, but they refused to give up on their little girl.
Blessing was referred to our partner hospital, Watborg Eye Services, where most of the cost of her surgery was covered. After her wound healed, she was fitted with a prosthetic eye.
When our team checked in on Blessing earlier this fall, they found a smiling and active little girl. She has adjusted well to her prosthetic eye and is in her second year of school.
“It’s the expertise of the medical teams at our partner facilities and their ability to act quickly that makes the difference in the lives of patients and families,” says Emmanuel Kumah, our Country Director for Ghana.
“Collaboration between our teams and our partner facilities in the local community is ensuring critical eye care services are available for patients like Blessing every day. We cannot thank Operation Eyesight donors enough for their support!”
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